Weightless" as a keyword
The Weightless Rig, the ultimate "Finesse" approach, is the most simple rig available, consisting of a single hook or Texas hook with a soft lure attached. The principle is to present lures with the most natural attitude possible to still or marauding fish near the surface.
Since lures are not weighted, they must be able to sink in the water column, which is why it is essential to select saltwater lures, as salt makes them denser than water.
The weight of the hook
One of the principles of sight fishing is to keep the lure in the fish's visual spectrum as long as possible. The speed of descent of the lure in the water column is therefore a fundamental point. In weightless approaches, the weight of the hook will have an impact on the presentation of the lure and this is an element that can be taken into account according to the attitude you wish to give it.
The Wacky
It is the most important technique when it comes to sight fishing for black bass. Basically, the Wacky rig consists in setting a worm on a single hook in the middle. The hook can be positioned in the axis of the lure or perpendicularly to it and can be equipped with an anti-weed device but for the most crowded sectors it is advisable: 1) to prick the worm on the hook without bringing out the tip or 2) to use worms specially designed to be mounted on Texas hooks while keeping a Wacky type presentation
The Weightless Nose Rig
The assembly Weightless Nose Rig this alternative to the wacky lure is to hook a soft lure through the nose on a single hook to give it maximum freedom. The lure is long and will undulate naturally at the slightest stroke of the rod. If the basic animation is defined by small Twichs made with the rod high, a dry shot with the rod low will allow your lure to go down a little more if necessary.
The Weightless Texas Rig
When the weather is warm, the water is clear, the presence of black bass is proven but you don't see the tail of one near the surface, chances are the fish have retreated to the shade under the foliage to find some coolness and comfort.
It is then advisable to go and flush them out with a suitable rig. A Finess lure (or soft jerkbait) mounted on a Texas hook is the best option. Very often, a rig of this type "skippered" in the middle of obstacles will provoke an aggressive reaction from fish that thought they were safe. Of course, the use of this rig in open water is quite relevant. The idea will be to animate it by wide and dry movements of scions (Jerking) interspersed with pauses in order to imitate a fish in difficulty.
The point on the canes
If for the Wacky and Weightless Nose Rig, we will use primarily Ultra Light to Light rods in order to easily cast light rigs at a good distance, we will prefer a slightly more powerful rod, such as a Medium Light, for Texas Rig fishing since we will have to get the fish out of the obstacles. That said, if you don't want to overcrowd your boat, a good Light rod will do the trick in most situations.
